Too much distortion

[Brad Reddekopp]

I've been listening to several local beginning teenage rock bands lately. The lead guitar players seem to use too much distortion -- either that or they're not muting effectively. I understand it. I like distortion. When I was a lot younger, I tried to use as much extortion as I could -- but then I started caring about having the actual notes I play be heard.

A young band I heard last night did a bunch of AC/DC covers with way too much distortion on both the rhythm and lead guitars, making the playing indistinct. AC/DC uses distortion but not a lot of it. They use just enough to make the guitars crunchy but not so much that the effect masks the actual sound of the vibrating string.

I'm sure the kids will either grow out of the excessive distortion use or they'll move to forms of music in which that kind of distortion is more appropriate.

[Nokes]

I remember a band like that back in high school. They played a blink182 song with tonnes of distortion and the guitarist was very new, he didn't know how to mute his strings, so when he came to the little melody interlude parts, all you could hear was his pickups buzzing and the odd squeak

The ultimate is when they have loads of distortion and loads of reverb

[Brad Reddekopp]

In my own experience, I started using less distortion when I became more confident in my playing.

[Beeman1991]

Thats sort of the reason why I'm more keen on getting a tube amp than a Insert-brandname-here-with-too-manny-goddamn-options amp
Recently played on an amp with heavy distortion and I couldn't fix what I was doing wrong with a few songs X_X

[Brad Reddekopp]

...on the other hand, with enough distortion, it doesn't matter how well you play.

[Beeman1991]

Yeah but I'd prefer the ability to play it properly to the hiding of mistakes I make along the way.
With a little less distortion, that beginning bit of satch boogie would have sounded great.. however there was enough that I could have been playing it in the wrong key making mistakes every two notes and it would still sound about right...
And considering I only know the first bit, it sounding coherent makes all the difference
Also, some stuff is just meant to be played clearer and it just gets too damned fuzzy with that distortion... Steve Miller, as the saying goes, was probably rolling in his grave
(Where did that saying come from anyway? Is it bad to be flipped over? Maybe it's like having the cool side of the pillow partway through the night for those supposedly somehow not dead folks)

[Brad Reddekopp]

I think the expression refers to the dead as being metaphorically sleeping but, when they're annoyed, turning from side-to-side fitfully in semi-wakefulness, as uneasy sleepers sometimes do.

[Beeman1991]

That would make total sense (as a meaning of the phrase of course).

[MustangGT]

In my own experience, I started using less distortion when I became more confident in my playing.

Oh snap! Well said.

I, like any good rocker, also loves good sounding distortion. The crunchy makes it sound better. But you are absolutely right that overdoing it will make the notes you play indistinguishable.

Studio albums can sometimes get away with more distortion while still having the notes distinguishable due to the studio recording equipment, control over clarity, etc. But playing live you cant pump the gain all the way up to 10 without sacrificing clarity.

And yes, less confident players often use more effects, more gain, etc, to make them sound better than that otherwise feel they do. Im not saying all use of effects and gain is a sign of insecurity, of course, just that the insecure ones are less likely to moderate their effects and gain properly.

[Brad Reddekopp]

Yeah, I love the crunch. I still haven't found the tone I'm looking for but it'll have both crunch and clarity. Some how.

[MustangGT]

Yeah, I love the crunch. I still haven't found the tone I'm looking for but it'll have both crunch and clarity. Some how.

I know its probably blasphemy to say this, but I've played around with those digital Line 6 amps at the guitar store, and I've liked their features. A crunchy-yet-clean sound is possible with those amps, IMHO.

And yet, I still rock out on my Fender Deluxe Reverb Vacuum tube amp at home... but I use a distortion pedal for it when i want the crunch.

[Brad Reddekopp]

I've got nothing against a digital amp if it sounds right. It's all about the sound.

[MustangGT]

Ah youre not a vacuum tube traditionalist. Nice!

[Brad Reddekopp]

Yeah. I appreciate some traditions but I try not to be trapped in tradition.

[Beeman1991]

I'm currently trying to get a tube amp
Considering I have a new job and nothing to spend the money on (still living with my parents and not in a post secondary institution yet.... and I still have a ways to go with all of those bizarre course requirements) I could get a pretty decent one
I've just sorta been wandering around musically speaking. It's mostly an issue with finding a sound that matches the lyrics that sorta pop into my head in a sporadic and unreliable manner.
Of course my Dad is all about distortion and different effects put on the guitar and I really can't be bothered
I much prefer the sounds the guitar normally makes, or those sounds only slightly distorted.